As students reach upper high school, parents suddenly find themselves in a quandary. What should be required of this almost-adult family member who seemingly has too much to do and not enough time to do it? We don’t want to jeopardize their future academically, yet we don’t want to raise self-centered snobs, either. When time [read more] …
Extracurricular Activities
Choices Now Determine Options Later
Regardless of our age, the choices we make today govern the opportunities we will have available to us in the future. Do we accept that difficult new project at work that will require us to learn a new programming language or do we fall back to the old and familiar? Do we undertake that volunteer [read more] …
Questions for a Job Shadow
It can be an overwhelming thing for a teen to figure out what they want to spend the rest of their life pursuing. For kids with limited life experience and even less employment experience, the question is huge. Before pursuing internships and summer jobs, it is often a good idea to talk with people in [read more] …
A Golden Summer
While I am not a philosopher, I love Aristotle’s thoughts on the golden mean, the appropriate midpoint between two extremes. It is a place of balance, a place that allows us time and space to move thoughtfully forward without rushing. Why is it that we struggle with finding this golden point in our lives? We [read more] …
Self-Regulating Kids
The habit of self-discipline is a fascinating thing. It predicts academic performance more than IQ. It changes our self-confidence. It literally shapes the way our brains develop. Back in 1960, psychologist Walter Mischel conducted the now-famous marshmallow experiment series with preschoolers to see if they would choose the marshmallow immediately or wait 15 minutes to receive [read more] …